Doncaster Rovers: Darren Ferguson set for summer overhaul

Liam Hoden

Darren Ferguson says Doncaster Rovers will fully be ‘his’ team when they return to League One next season.

The Rovers boss has instigated numerous personnel changes this summer by making five players available for transfer and releasing a further three.

Should the transfer-listed players be moved on, only five players will remain at the club that were present when Ferguson arrived in October 2015. And all of those five have been handed new contracts under his stewardship.

Ferguson has been keen to shape the squad in his image but, in particular, complete the renovation of the group following relegation to League Two a year ago.

“I feel you’ll be looking at a squad next year where there’s not many left from the time we got relegated,” he told the Free Press.

“I managed to get the opportunity to do that last summer and I want to continue to do that this summer.

“They’re difficult decisions for me and having to tell players they’re not in my plans was not a nice day for me.

“But then they have to be respectful of the decisions you’re making and I have to make decisions that are right for the club.”

Ferguson offered insight into his decision to transfer-list the likes of Andy Williams, Harry Middleton and Mitchell Lund, something which reflected his constant demand for improvement.

“Since we got promoted, I had time to reflect,” he said.

“And it hasn’t just been on games. You just see them on matchdays. I see them every day.

“And I feel I’ve not seen as much improvement as I need going into League One.”

Excluding those players placed on the transfer list, James Coppinger, Marko Marosi, Andy Butler, Luke McCullough and Liam Mandeville are the only survivors of the Paul Dickov era.

n Chief executive Gavin Baldwin has told our sister paper The Yorkshire Post that Ferguson will have a “generous budget” and the aim is to have the majority of this summer’s recruitment done by June 26, when the first team return to training.